


One more time can't hurt, right?

by veenaistired



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Friends With Benefits, Friends With Benefits To Lovers, Implied Sexual Content, Mutual Pining, One Night Stands, two idiots in denial
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-08
Updated: 2019-09-10
Packaged: 2020-09-19 09:26:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20328859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/veenaistired/pseuds/veenaistired
Summary: A one-night-stand. That was all Neji and Tenten were supposed to be to each other. But when they meet again, through a mutual friend, they find they just can't stay away from each other.In which they feverishly try not to develop feelings for each other and fail horribly.





	1. Stupid Mistakes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this was supposed to be a one-shot but it's sort of escalated, so I've decided to split it up. I hope you enjoy reading the classic "fuckbuddies to lovers" trope as much as I did writing it!

The woman on top of him slowly peeled herself away, separating their bodies once more as strands of brown hair hung down her face, lightly tickling his chest where they touched it. She unceremoniously flopped down next to him on the mattress, both of them still panting heavily from their shared high. _That_ had been seriously amazing and, judging from the expression on her face, Neji deduced she was feeling the same way. For a minute they just lay there in silence, basking in the afterglow as their breathing slowed down to a normal rhythm again. 

"You mind if I use your bathroom?" Her voice was full of satisfaction, paired with an unexpected cheerfulness.

"Not at all. It’s the room opposite of the kitchen."

She nodded and picked herself off the bed, stretching out her limbs in an almost catlike manner, not bothering to cover up her nudity. After all, there was no need to act shy after what they’d just done. He propped himself up on his elbows, watching her as she picked up articles of discarded clothing from the floor, some of them buried under his own. When she went for the door and caught him looking, the woman grinned and flashed him a wink. 

"Nice view, huh?" She wasn’t wrong. Not at all. 

After hearing the bathroom door open, and fall closed again, Neji let himself fall back onto the mattress again, closing his eyes. Ending up in bed with a stranger was the last thing he’d expected to happen when he’d gone to some slightly shabby-looking bar for a round of much-needed drinks after a family get-together. He wasn’t usually the type for one-night-stands, but she’d seemed so carefree, so confident, when she’d sat down next to him at the counter, drink in hand, Neji had found himself going along with her. The best decision he’d made in a while, as it turned out. She returned less than ten minutes later, he’d used the time to get dressed again and tidy up a bit, her hair pulled back up into those eccentric twin buns. 

"I’m gonna head out now. A girl’s got places to be."

She didn’t sound apologetic in the slightest about leaving so soon after, but he didn’t mind. In fact, he preferred it that way. Neji, after all, had places to be the next day as well. Still, he accompanied her to the door to see her off. It simply would have been rude not to. After lacing up her boots, she looked at him one last time.

"Thanks for tonight. Because holy fuck, it was amazing." 

"Likewise", he answered truthfully. The woman just raised one eyebrow, another smile on her lips.

"Oh so now you’re acting all polite, huh?" Her voice was laced with sarcasm and he found himself smiling at the joke. "Anyways, I’d say see you around, but I don’t think that’s in it for us. So, uh, have a nice life I guess?" 

"You too. Get home safe."

"Thanks, I will and, uh… you might want to wear a scarf or something tomorrow. I sort of went to town on your neck." With that, she turned around on her heels and was gone, leaving him in the entranceway, a hand on the hickey he couldn’t see but was definitely forming. 

—

"That’s Neji Hyuuga, an old friend of mine."

Tenten wanted nothing more than to turn around, storm through the door and hit the bricks. This couldn’t be real. The man Lee had just introduced to her was, in fact, the guy from that amazing one-night-stand last week. Shit. 

"Good to meet you, I’m Tenten", she said, hoping her voice didn’t betray the utter mortification she was feeling right now and reached out her hand. Thankfully, mercifully, he played right along, taking her hand and shaking it as if they were really just meeting for the first time. 

"Good to meet you too." He smiled at her then, in a way that made it seem as if he wasn’t fazed by the circumstances even in the slightest. To be honest, it pissed her off. 

For the rest of the afternoon, they only glanced at each other sparingly, following the conversation to anywhere Lee wanted to take it. Without mentioning their little affair, obviously. Over the course of their meeting, she begrudgingly noticed that Neji was more stuck up than he’d seemed just a few nights ago. And arrogant. Definitely that. More than once she couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the things he said. Seriously, if Lee wasn’t one of her closest friends there was no way she’d be sitting through this. Deep inside, she knew she was probably looking for flaws retrospectively because she’d slept with the guy, but that didn’t change how she felt at the moment. Feelings were irrational little things. 

Her sour mood lightened a little, however, when he brushed his long hair aside in a moment of carelessness, revealing the remains of the hickey she’d given him. Score. 

When the trio finally parted ways, and oh boy was she ready to get home and not think about this whole mess ever again, he had the audacity to hold her back, after Lee was out of the picture. From the look on his face, he was more than a little annoyed with her as well. Jerk. 

"Lee can’t know about our…" he paused.

"He can’t know we had sex? Yeah, believe it or not, but we’re on the same page here." He looked almost scandalized at her saying the word out loud and once more and she narrowly held herself back from rolling her eyes so far into the back of her head, they’d likely get stuck. How old was that guy? Twelve?! "We shouldn’t talk about it anymore either. It was just a one-time thing, nothing else is going to happen. So let’s do ourselves a favor and forget about it."

"Exactly. I’m glad you understand." Understand?! Was he seriously patronizing her right now?! Even though they basically agreed with each other, Tenten couldn’t help the burst of anger welling up within her. She tried to hold back, but the words escaped her mouth before the more rational part of her brain could stop her. 

"You know what, if you keep talking like that you’re gonna make me seriously regret sleeping with you." She knew it was petty and enforcing a double-standard, but she just hadn’t been able to stop herself. Apparently, the guy got her riled up, in more way than one. 

Instead of responding to the provocation, he just looked at her, more than just a hint of superiority in his gaze, before saying: "Didn’t you just say we shouldn’t talk about it?" The question was, obviously, rhetorical and made her want to deck him across the face.

"You’re _so_ right, thanks for the reminder." The smile she flashed him was laced with venom. "I’ll stop wasting your precious time now." She was already turning around, ready to walk off, when he spoke up a final time.

"A girl’s got places to be, right?"

—

The phone, pressed against her ear, was already beeping for the fifth time and Tenten felt her own agitation rise with every passing second. Couldn’t the guy just pick up when she needed him to? Apparently, the heavens decided to heed her silent prayers for once and just before she was about to hang up in frustration she heard the tell-tale sound of someone picking up the phone. 

"You’ve reached the Inuzuka residence, home of kickass motherfuckers and bad bitches, how can I help you?" _Finally!_

"Kiba, I’m fucked." Not her smoothest opener ever, but considering who she was talking to, that hardly mattered. 

"Ooh…In a good or bad way", he answered in that cheerful tone of his.

"Bad. Definitely."

"Yikes, what happened?" The playfulness within his voice was gone instantly, replaced with concern. Yes, he could be a tone-deaf mess but, at the end of the day, he was one of her closest friends. 

„So do you remember that one-night-stand I told you about last week?"

"The "son of a bitch this was the best sex I’ve had in a while" one?" At that, she released a giant sigh. Thinking about how good it had been didn’t really help her current situation. 

"Yeah… that. So, turns out the guy is one of Lee’s best friends. He introduced us yesterday." Kiba remained silent for a second and it wasn’t particularly hard to imagine the shocked expression that was doubtlessly inhabiting his features right about now.

"Shit."

"Exactly." 

"A friend of Lee’s though… wait, don’t tell me, you fucked Neji Hyuuga?!" Her friend sounded so surprised, Tenten couldn’t help but wonder how he knew Neji and why hooking up with him was such a big deal.

"Very eloquent wording but, yes, I did." 

"Holy shit. How did you even manage that, the guy’s as cold as ice!" So he _did_ have a reputation. 

"Trust me, he wasn’t when we met." Unwittingly she found herself thinking back to that fateful night, the look he’d thrown her just before he… Nope. Bad. This wasn’t why she’d called, so she banned the thought to some dark, secluded corner within her brain.

"Eww, no details please."

"I wasn’t about to give you any, idiot. Anyways, you might just be right about him. When we met yesterday he was sort of obnoxious, but that isn’t the problem." 

"So, what is? Don’t tell me Lee found out, you’d never hear the end of it!" That was entirely true, but also not the reason for her call. 

"No that isn’t it. When Lee introduced us I sort of… panicked? Long story short, he was a tad stuck up and I overreacted and acted like a total bitch." There was no sugarcoating it, she really had treated him unfairly and ever since coming down from the initial shock of meeting him again, she’d been feeling horrible about it. 

"So, you fucked up and, judging from your reaction, he totally didn’t. And now you feel bad."

"Gee, thanks, but rubbing it in isn’t doing anything for the situation. What am I supposed to do about this?"

"Easy, just apologize. Lee can give you his number, right? Then you can continue pretending nothing ever happened between you guys in front of everyone else." Ah yes, the obvious answer, but not the one she’d been looking for. 

"What am I even supposed to say?" 

"Tell him what you just told me, that you were being bitchy and that you’re sorry." Compared to all of the stupid shit her friend got up to sometimes, the advice was surprisingly solid. 

"And then? Just tell him that we can try the whole „friends“ thing again?" 

"I mean, sure. If that’s what you want." He didn’t sound convinced. Not at all.

"What the hell do you mean with that?", she asked even though she wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to hear the answer.

"I’m pretty sure you already know." She did but was unwilling to think about it. Even if she wanted to, and she wasn’t sure she did, continuing the thing between her and Neji was out of the question. Both of them were close friends to Lee after all. It would be way too weird. 

"I really hate you sometimes, you know that, right?"

"Aaaaand…?" He’d adopted that playful tone again and she didn’t doubt there was a shit-eating grin plastered on his face right now. She sighed. 

"And you’re the best. Thanks, Kiba." Even though he annoyed her to no end with his teasing, she meant it.

"No problem. Are you still up for Friday?" 

"At Shino’s place? Sure. See you."

"See you."

With that, she heard the distinctive peep that indicated the call was over. Without further hesitation, Tenten knew if she didn’t do it now, she never would, she typed out a quick message to Lee, asking for Neji’s number.

—

Truth be told, Neji wasn’t exactly in the best mood, or even a good one. Releasing a frustrated noise, somewhere between a growl and a sigh, as his mind drifted back to yesterday. Meeting Tenten again, without any warning whatsoever, had completely thrown him off, there was no other way to describe it. She hadn’t been exactly pleased either, at least as far as he could tell. Yesterday, she’d seemed almost angry at him, though it was only partly her fault. Neji hated to admit it, but he might have overreacted a bit upon seeing her and, consequently, acted just a tad bit colder than usual. Okay maybe more than a tad, but she hadn’t been on her best behavior either. 

The entire situation made him want to bang his head against a wall. From what he’d seen, she was pretty close to Lee, so avoiding her completely was likely out of the question. Besides, leaving the situation unresolved didn’t sit well with him. They didn’t have to like each other, but he was sure a truce could be reached nevertheless. After all, they’d liked each other upon their first meeting. A lot. 

No, not going there. Tenten had already told him so: what they’d had was a one time only occurrence, a sentiment which with he agreed wholeheartedly. He wasn’t up for some complicated relationship with one of Lee’s best friends. 

Thinking about it, the two of them being friends made a lot of sense. Both of them radiated a certain kind of intense energy. Though, in her defense, she wasn’t nearly as explosive as their mutual friend. For some reason, the thought made him smile. 

At that very moment, his phone vibrated on top of his desk, indicating a new message. The preview showed an unknown number and not much else, so he unlocked the device to look at the text. He was more than a little surprised at its contents.

[From Unknown]: hey, this is tenten. i just wanted to say that i’m sorry about yesterday, i was sort of being a bitch. can we just put it behind us?

Oh. Now that was surprising. Neji hadn’t expected her to straight-up apologize, even if he felt relief at the message. His fingers hovered over the touchscreen, unsure of what to write. He could just accept, but that didn’t feel entirely fair, considering he’d made mistakes as well. After a few minutes, even though he’d never admit to himself that it took him that long, he finally sent a reply.

[To Unknown]: Of course. I apologize for how I acted yesterday as well, so don’t worry about it anymore. 

For some inexplicable reason, having the situation resolved lifted an unseen weight off of his shoulders. Why should he care what Tenten thought about him? They weren't even friends! Whatever. The whole thing was done and over with. 

[From Unknown]: thank god, i really didn't need that kind of drama. see you around i guess 

Or maybe not entirely over. Neji wasn't sure if what he was feeling about the prospect of meeting her again was excitement or apprehension.

—

The next time the two saw each other was about a week later. Lee had dragged them to the cinema to watch some cheesy action movie. Well, technically Neji was the only one being dragged, as Tenten had seemed almost as excited about the movie as their mutual friend. Right now, after two and a half hours of staged martial arts fights and sound effects so loud Neji'd been fearing for his ears, they were sitting around a table at the food court. Tenten was shoveling fries into her mouth at a speed that almost defied the laws of physics while enthusiastically discussing the film with Lee. Both of them were wildly gesturing around with their hands, to the point where Lee almost pushed a bottle of water off the table. 

"What do you think about it?" Tenten's question came as somewhat of a surprise. The two had seemed to be so caught up in their discussion, he hadn't expected her to try and include him. 

"It was okay. Not the worst movie I've ever seen." Lee merely threw him a scandalized look, while the young woman already opened her mouth in preparation of a heated retort.

"_Okay?!_ Just that?! You, Neji Hyuuga, are an uncultured cretin!" He simply raised an eyebrow.

"Am I now?"

"**Yes!**", both of them answered at the same time and he knew arguing would be futile. 

Less than an hour later, they were saying their goodbyes at the nearest subway station. Lee had already sprinted off at a speed that likely rivaled an olympian's to catch his train, leaving the other two standing next to the tracks. A heavy silence immediately fell over them.

"He really could have waited for us", Neji said in a desperate attempt to dispell the awkward atmosphere. Apparently, it worked, as the woman next to him let out a small chuckle.

"Lee never waits for anyone. Or anything, for that matter. You know that." That much was true. If Lee wasn't a force of nature, then nothing was. "Still, I'm glad you seemed to enjoy yourself at least a little today. The way you acted last time made me think winter was coming in early." 

"Oh come on, it couldn't have been that bad."

"Alright, maybe not, but you are a little stuck up. You could stand to be a little less cold, word on the street is that's what all the girls are into."

"Oh, screw you." Even if it was meant as a joke, Neji didn't usually cuss people out like that, but she'd just told him to be less "stuck up" so he figured it wasn't offensive. What she said next, however, in a tone so playful he couldn't be sure whether or not she was being serious, knocked the wind out of him.

"Do it yourself."

Next thing he knew, they were kissing. Hard. He wasn't sure who'd moved in first, but that hardly mattered now. Unsurprisingly, Neji ended up not going home that evening. She was more demanding this time around, rougher, every one of her movements filled with a sense of urgency, but he found that he didn't mind at all.

—

This was a fucking mistake. Neji's head was buried in the crook of her neck, still breathing heavily, her fingers digging into his shoulders. Why exactly had either of them thought that sleeping with each other again would be a good idea? No matter how good the sex was, and _holy shit_ it had been even better this time around, they couldn't keep doing this. As if he'd just had the same thought, he rolled off of her, unraveling the tangle of limbs they currently were. Either that or he was trying not to crush her. 

"We really need to stop doing that", he said once his breathing had slowed again.

"Yup." Both of them knew how right they were, no amount of orgasms were worth the entire "secret-fuckbuddy" mess. But, like true adults, they'd chosen to not give a shit about what was right in the light of having some fun. 

"I should go." 

"Probably, yeah." 

Just at that moment, the sound of thunder so loud it split apart the night sounded through the room. Less than a second later, the storm rolled in. Just great. Tenten already knew she'd regret her next words, but couldn't help them leaving her lips.

"Ugh, wait. I'm not throwing you out in that shit weather. You can stay until the storm has passed." He looked at her then, as if he didn't quite believe what she'd just said. Well, if he wanted to leave now and catch his death outside, who was she to stop him?

"I- thank you." The fact that he'd accepted her proposal came as somewhat of a surprise to her. A pleasant one, even if she wasn't ready to admit it.

"Don't worry about it." Even though Tenten flashed him a grin, she barely managed to suppress a sigh. What the hell was she supposed to say in a situation like that? "I'm making tea, do you want some?" 

Good enough. At least, that way, she'd get to leave him alone for a while, get away from the unpleasant conversation they'd need to have. Better later than sooner. The man on her bed simply nodded at the question, so she quickly picked up her pajamas from where she'd left it in the morning and put them on. Then, without another word, she walked out the door and left him behind in her bedroom. 

When she came back a few minutes later, two mugs full of steaming-hot tea in had and still no clue what to say, the scene in front of her wasn't what she'd expected. Neji was still lying in bed, out cold. Well, again would've been a more fitting word since he'd obviously gotten up to get dressed again in her absence. His chest was rising and falling in a steady rhythm. The rhythm of a sleeping person. She just shook her head. _Men._ Still, the tiniest of smiles crept across her lips. 

After finishing her tea and taking a nice, long shower, Tenten didn't stay awake much longer. Instead, she got back into bed and fell asleep next to him. Thankfully, it was big enough they didn't have to touch or, god forbid, cuddle. After all, that stuff was reserved for couples and whatever the two of them were to each other after tonight, it certainly wasn't that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> denial is in the air :))


	2. Stupid Feelings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here it is, the second part of this trainwreck. Enjoy <3

Unfamiliar sheets, an unfamiliar bed, and an unfamiliar warmth next to him. Even before Neji opened his eyes, he felt somewhat disoriented. He clearly wasn't at home. Less than a second later, realization set in and his eyes snapped open. Tenten's place. That's where he was right now. As if his own memory wasn't proof enough, the woman in question was lying next to him, sleep casting a peaceful expression over her face. Unwittingly he found himself wanting to reach out to her. Shit. 

Keeping the impulse under control, he got out of bed instead. Slowly and carefully, as to not disturb her rest. When he looked over towards the alarm clock on the nightstand to check the time, it was just past 5 am, he noticed a mug standing next to it. Still full of tea. 

He needed to leave. Now. Falling asleep at her place had been bad enough, but he couldn't be there when she woke up. That was for couples and they were anything but. For a moment he just stood there, head buried in his hands in frustration. Neji didn't consider himself impulsive, not by a long shot, but this woman had managed to bring out that side in him twice now, seemingly without any effort. He raised one of his hands, touching it to his neck where she'd doubtlessly left another hickey. Last night's fatal words echoed through his mind again. _Do it yourself._ Stupid. 

Finally, he got himself to leave the room, but not without picking up the mug. It seemed somehow rude to just leave it there. Sitting in her kitchen, a room that seemed to double as a living space, he sipped the cold beverage. It tasted nice, bitterness masking more subtle, herbal flavors. When he was done, he put the empty cup into her dishwasher and, resisting the urge to check on her one last time, left her home for what he planned to be the last time. It wasn't.

—

It happened again and again after that, even though they promised each other that each slip-up would be the last. Sometimes weeks passed between their hookups, sometimes only days and in the time between, they pretended to be nothing more than friends. Pretend being the keyword. 

Tenten hated to admit it, but the morning after they'd first gone to her apartment, the night the storm had hit at the worst possible time, she'd felt almost bad waking up alone. She hadn't expected him to be there, hell, she hadn't even planned on letting him stay in the first place, but she just couldn't help the stab of loneliness that hit her upon finding the other side of the bed empty. 

That in itself was a horrible sign, and she damn well knew it. Knew, that if they didn't stop ending up in each other's bed, she'd eventually develop feelings that went deeper than, well, whatever she was feeling right now. And still, they couldn't keep away from each other. Not at all.

In fact, it only got worse over time. They started sleeping over at each other's place, for real this time, started having breakfast together the next day. They even had their own toothbrushes at each other's apartments, for fuck's sake. Tenten feverishly tried to convince herself she was only staying out of convenience, because Neji had this insane coffee machine that freshly ground the beans and, consequently, made the best damn coffee she'd ever had. Because his towels were softer than hers and the water didn't take a full minute to get warm when you wanted to hit the shower. But even though all of those things were nice, she'd be lying if she said she wasn't making the most of her stays at his apartment, there was something else. The real reason she kept coming back. 

She was, slowly but surely, developing a serious crush on the guy. 

And that realization hurt. Not only because it complicated just about everything, but because she was absolutely sure he didn't feel the same way. From the beginning, they'd had an unspoken agreement. Do not, under any circumstances, throw feelings into the mix. Do not get attached. It was so simple, a hookup’s golden rule, and still, she'd fucked up in the worst possible manner. And yet, she couldn't bring herself to end their messed up arrangement, even though she knew they were headed for disaster. Quite probably sooner than later.

—

It was one of those lazy Sundays, made for doing nothing all day, and, simultaneously, the weather had decided to be grey and gloomy putting another damper on whatever aspirations one might have had for the day. So, Neji and Tenten were sitting on his couch, idly watching a re-run of some thirty-year-old rom-com and drinking tea. Honestly, it scared the shit out of him. 

He wasn't sure when exactly it had happened, it might even have been after the second time they'd slept with each other, but he'd found herself craving her presence more and more, not in a purely sexual sense, but more in an "I really like this person" type of way. Which was nothing short of an absolute trainwreck. He almost felt as if he was deceiving her, harboring those feelings. Especially, since he knew she'd be gone the second he came clean about it. And yet, he hadn't been able to throw her out after they'd had their fun.

His resolve wasn't even strong enough to stop him from putting an arm around her as they were sitting on the sofa. It was foolish, acting like he was back in middle school, but the ambivalence of the gesture had its appeal. After all, who was to say he wasn't just resting his arm on the backrest of the couch? Thankfully, she didn't seem to mind and kept her eyes focused on the TV screen. Either that, or she hadn’t noticed. While watching the movie, an expression overcame her features that, by now, he was able to identify as mild irritation. Upon realizing that he was watching her face, rather than the movie, Neji mentally reprimanded himself and tore his eyes away. He shouldn't be looking at her like that. 

It almost didn't make sense. After all, he'd looked at her plenty, often in a state of absolute undress, but this was different. This was him acting on feelings he shouldn't be having. For the rest of the movie, the young man managed to keep his eyes on the screen but was unable to ignore the feeling of comfort that came with being close to her. The subtle heat radiating off her form, the way their knees would brush up against each other from time to tome, for just a second. 

"Wow, this movie was a colossal waste of time."

"Agreed." Except he didn't consider the time he got to spend with her because of it a waste.

"I mean, I get it, it's from the sixties but does have everything be _that_ sexist. If someone tried to come onto me the way the protagonist did they'd catch some hands." All throughout the miniature rant, she kept gesturing wildly with her hands, something he'd noticed her do quite often. It was cute. 

Tenten was absolutely right, the film had been terrible, but a part of him was sad it was over already. It meant she would leave soon. The thought made him long to put the arm on the backrest around her shoulders instead.

"Shit is it really past five already?! Sorry but I gotta bounce." There it was, as expected.

She quickly gathered up her things and entirely too soon they were standing at the door, Tenten poised to leave. 

"See you around!" 

Instead of turning around and leaving, however, she kept standing there, under the doorframe for just a second longer than was strictly necessary. As it turned out, that was all the time it took. All the time it took for the rational part of his brain to short circuit, allowing for the fatal lapse of judgment that then followed.

Just like that, Neji leaned down and kissed her on the lips.

It wasn't like any of the kisses they'd shared before. Not passionate or tinged with lust, but soft and short, almost a peck. The kind of kiss couples exchanged when saying goodbye. It felt good. Right. Except they weren't a couple.

When he pulled back, her expression was one of shock. Shit. Shitshitshit. Panic started to rise within and, subconsciously, he took a step back. For a cruel moment, which seemed entirely too long, neither of them could do anything but stare at the other. Neji felt all the blood drain from his face in mortification, while one of her hands was grabbing the strap of her bag with such a vice, her knuckles had turned entirely white. After what felt like another eternity of this hell, Tenten managed to break the spell, turning on her heels and striding away while choking out a hurried goodbye. Neji figured the door to his apartment wasn't the only one closing that day.

—

Tenten was nervously chewing on her nails, resisting the urge to use her phone's camera to check whether or not the horrendous amount of concealer she'd applied that morning masked the dark circles under her eyes. The concerned look the waitress had shot her earlier made her seriously doubt it. The person keeping her awake at night was, as usual, Neji Hyuuga. Though, this time around the situation wasn't quite the one she'd gotten used to. 

What the fuck had he meant with that kiss?!

He'd looked downright perplexed afterward. Like he'd just made a huge mistake. She didn't doubt that's what he considered the incident to be. A mistake. 

But then, why'd he done it? He might have been trying to initiate something, but she wasn't particularly convinced by that theory. They'd made out a lot over the past three months (no, she definitely _wasn't_ keeping track of how long they'd been each other's booty call) and never had he kissed her like _that_. 

Usually, she'd just write it off but, considering her own feelings, that was sort of impossible. In other words, it was an absolute bitch of a situation. 

To make things worse, there had been complete radio-silence between them ever since what she'd come to dub "the incident". Last night, she'd come to the rather painful realization that she was experiencing some fucked up sort of heartbreak. Releasing a big sigh, she rested her head on the table she was currently seated at. When exactly had her life become such a mess? 

Thankfully, the person she'd been waiting for arrived just at that moment, before she could drown herself in self-loathing. If there was an antidote to feeling down, it had to be Lee. Somehow, he was always in a good mood and equipped with an optimism she could only admire. Walking over to the table, he flashed her one of those characteristic smiles of his, instantly lifting her mood, even if it was only by the tiniest amount.

"How's it going?“ Even with the entire Neji situation weighing heavy on her shoulders she managed to keep her tone light. See, she didn't have it _that_ bad.

"I'm great!", he answered, the smile on his face only underlining the statement. "How about you?" There it was, the dreaded question. Tenten hadn't any desire to talk about the situation, especially since she'd kept the entire mess a secret from her friend ever since it'd started, but lying wasn't an option either. Still, there was no way she could just come out with it. _Hey, I've been sleeping with another one of your friends behind your back and now I'm in some deep shit._ That didn't seem like a great opener to the conversation. So, the young woman settled for a half-truth. 

"I'm okay. Life's just being a bit complicated right now." Her friend didn't even skip a beat before dropping that next bomb on her. Sure, Lee had known her for a long time and he was more of an empath than people gave him credit for, but she still hadn't expected the accuracy of his next statement. 

"It's about Neji, isn't it." Just _how_ did he know?! And _how much_ exactly did he know? Had Neji snitched?! Unable to formulate a coherent response, she simply nodded. "I thought so. You two have been acting... weird around each other lately. Could it be that you're dating?"

Apparently they hadn't been as subtle as they'd thought, even though her friend didn’t have a grasp on the full story. The question clearly meant Neji hadn't talked, but Tenten felt her own resolve slipping. She needed to talk to _someone_ about this mess and if Lee already had his suspicions, how much worse could things really get by coming clean about it? She must have been caught up in her thoughts for quite a while, as her friend started rambling on, clearly somewhat unsure of what to say.

"It wouldn't be a problem if you were, really! There's no reason to keep it a secret just because we're friends!"

"That's nice of you to say, but we aren't dating. Not really."

"Oh. I'm sorry then. For just assuming things." He seemingly considered the topic to be over with, it would be easy to let the conversation flow into a different direction from this point on, but keeping it bottled up wouldn't get her anywhere. Besides, her friend deserved the truth. Releasing a big sigh, she forced the next few words out of her mouth.

"We're sleeping with each other."

"Wait, what?! That's- I mean..." "Since _when_?" Considering his usual demeanor, he was taking the news in a less explosive way than she’d feared. Well, at least that was something.

"A few days before you introduced us." Lee looked absolutely shocked. Not that he didn't have every right to. They _had_ been shagging it out his back for months now, pretending they weren't anything more than acquaintances in front of anyone else. "If it makes you feel better, we didn't plan on continuing to hook up behind your back. What we had... both of us thought it was just a one-night-stand."

"But it wasn't" There wasn't even a hint of accusation in his voice and the way he was looking at her made it clear he knew there was more to the story. Silently, he was urging her to continue on, but willing to let it go if she wasn’t up for it. How in the world did she even deserve a friend like that?

"Yeah, it wasn't. And, well, I fucked up big time and managed to catch a case of the feelings.“ Even though it technically did nothing for the situation, baring her secret somehow lifted a weight off of her shoulders.

"So _that's_ what you meant with complicated."

"I know, right? And a few days ago, things got even worse, if you can believe that. He kissed me." At the confused look her friend was throwing her she quickly added: "I mean in a casual way. Not sex-related. At least I think it wasn't" For some unfathomable reason, a grand smile spread across his face at her explanation.

"That's great!" In true Lee fashion, his eyes lit up like Christmas lights during the holiday season and she was suddenly very glad the years had served to mellow his explosive personality to the point where he wouldn't perform a full-on victory dance in the tiny café. Even though his voice was loud enough to draw the attention of pretty much everyone else in the room.

"No it isn't", she hissed in a low voice, both, to underline the gravity of the situation and to tell him to keep his voice down.

"But why? It means he feels the same way!" Except it totally didn't. Things weren't that easy. They couldn't be.

"No, I don't think it does." Her own resignation took in stark contrast to Lee’s denial.

"Come on, what other reason could there be? You've said it yourself, he didn't kiss you to initiate something. Besides, you've been exclusive all this time, right?" The question only sent her mind into another downward spiral. Yes, ever since they'd started messing around she hadn't slept with anyone else, or even flirted, but who was to say he'd done the same? For all she knew, Neji could be in bed with someone else right now. The thought conjured a wave of jealousy so strong it threatened to wash her away. Fuck, she really hated feeling like that. 

"I haven't been with anyone else, but I'm not sure about him. It's not like we ever talked about it." Upon seeing how unsure and bitter she sounded, Lee's expression softened a little. 

"Then do it. Talk to him." It sounded so simple when he said it. Then again, Lee was about the most straightforward person she knew, to the point where it came across as rude sometimes, and he always confronted his troubles head-on. Still, Tenten must've made a face at the advice, because he continued on, sounding ever so slightly more serious. "Things are just going to get worse if you don't sort this out. Besides, if there's a massive fallout, I'll have to choose sides. You can't put me through that! I could never turn my back on either of you." Her friend was right, she knew he was. Besides, it really would be unfair to him if Neji and she involved him in their, well, whatever it was.

"Yeah, I know. I'll talk to him, I promise." Maybe not today, maybe not this week, but, at some point, she would. Lee seemed satisfied with her answer, beaming once again.

"Great! You two are going to make such a cute couple!" As always, he was about twenty steps ahead of anyone else and confronted with his boundless enthusiasm she couldn't help but smile along. 

"Yeah, yeah. Can we _please_ talk about something else now?" Her friend just flashed her a wink and a thumbs-up and, for the rest of the afternoon, they did just that.

—

Family gatherings had never been Neji's favorite pastime, but today was especially bad. Instead of focusing on his relatives, his mind kept drifting to that fateful mistake, that kiss, and more than once he spaced out mid-conversation. Hinata had to elbow him in the ribs under the table quite a few times to snap him out of it. Finally, it had gotten late enough to leave without seeming rude and he planned on doing just that in favor of turning the problem around in his mind again and again until he passed out from exhaustion. 

It was hard to admit just how much he'd missed Tenten during the last few days. She'd become such a constant in his life, her sudden absence had left a gaping hole within him. To make things worse, the kiss had been entirely his mistake and, therefore, it was his turn to apologize, but he absolutely dreaded the idea. He'd have to come clean to her about his feelings, that much was for sure, but, quite frankly, was too scared of her inevitable rejection to contact her. 

He'd just left his uncle's house, walking down the gravel path towards the gate, when the door behind him opened once more. Turning around, the young man came face-to-face with his father. 

"You don't have a car, right? Do you want me to give you a ride home?" The words were essentially Hizashi code for "Do you need to talk?" and Neji wondered if he'd really been that obvious. Much like himself, his father wasn't exactly the best at putting his feelings into words, but the offer was still a welcome one. Even if he'd never expected to talk to him about his love life. Well, first time for everything, right?

"That would be great. Thanks."

"Thank god. One more minute in there and my brother would have driven me insane." The mood was lifted a little at the comment, and both men found themselves laughing. 

Less than a minute later, they were in the car and on the road. For a moment neither of them spoke, but, finally, the older man finally took the initiative.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but something seems to be troubling you." Even though the words were carefully chosen, they didn't seem cold. It felt more as if his father was trying not to overstep any boundaries. 

"Yes, quite a bit so." 

"Is it about...", throughout his youth, Neji had seldom talked to his father, or anyone in his family, about his problems, especially not concerning relationships, so his father almost stumbled over the next few words, "...matters of the heart?" 

For a good second, Neji was rendered absolutely speechless. How in the world did Hizashi know?! He didn't consider himself to be an easy person to read by anyone's standards. Though, denying it would entirely defeat the purpose of the conversation, so he swallowed his pride, released a sigh of resignation and answered his father.

"Yes... it is." Another few seconds of silence. The older man kept his eyes on the road, but it was clear that he was waiting for his son to elaborate. There was nothing he could do without knowing at least a bit more about the situation, as awkward as it was to talk about. "There's this woman. We've... been with other casually for a few months now." It didn't matter that he was well into his twenties, talking to a family member about sex would never stop being weird. 

"But?", the older man probed.

"But I've gone ahead and developed feelings for her." With that, the dam was broken and the whole, messed up, story spilled out from within him, right up to the moment where he'd kissed her. 

"That does sound rather complicated, but are you sure she doesn't feel the same way?" Neji just sighed.

"I _know_ she doesn't"

"I wouldn't be too sure about that. People don't usually stick around after hooking up, not in the way you described at least. And would you please stop looking at me like that? I was twenty-six too once, you know." Neji supposed that much was true, even though he really didn’t want to think about what his father had been up to some thirty years prior. 

"Alright, so what do you propose I do?" 

"Talk to her, obviously. As much as you might want to, you can't walk away from this one. Especially considering that you're in love with her." Wait, _love?!_ Sure he'd admitted to his crush a while ago, but love? 

"I am _not_ in love with her!" Neji must have sounded quite ridiculous in his denial, as his father's expression softened and he released a barely audible chuckle. 

"Don't lie to yourself Neji, you should know by now that never turns out well. You've been with her for what, months now? A simple crush would have gone away by now. Trust me on that one." As always, Hizashi's reasoning was solid. Neji still wasn't ready to admit it, but his father was right. He was in love with Tenten. The realization only served to make the entire situation that much scarier. Helplessly, he looked to his father, for some sort of advice. Seemingly having understood the silent plea, Hizashi spoke up again.

"You should go see her, in person. Just tell her the truth, there's no other way to find out what she truly thinks about all this. I don't think the situation is as hopeless as you make it out to be." His father gave him one of his rare, but encouraging smiles then and, suddenly, some of his doubts were dulled from raging fires to the domesticated flames of a candle. 

"Thank you. Can you do me another favor?"

"You already know the answer, son."

"Can you drive me over to her place? If I don't talk to her now, I think I might never do it." It wasn't that he was looking forward to the conversation he'd have to have with Tenten, but nothing good would come of waiting any longer. Hizashi simply nodded, a warm look in his eyes.

"What's the address?"

The rest of the drive passed entirely to fast as his father let the car roll to a stop in front of the familiar building. After steeling himself for another second, he opened the passenger's door. 

"Thank you, I mean it."

"Anytime. And, Neji? If things go well I'd really like to meet her someday."

"Let's hope it goes well, then." With that, he exited the vehicle and walked up to the front door of the apartment building. As soon as he heard the car behind him drive away, he rang the doorbell. Now or never.

—

The loud ringing of the doorbell contrasted so starkly with the silence that hung over the apartment, Tenten almost jumped up from the couch. She'd been sitting on the same spot for hours now, trying to formulate a text message to send to Neji. Needless to say, it wasn't going well. The hopefulness she'd felt upon talking with Lee about the whole mess had long since dissipated and she couldn't bring herself to confront him. She'd been about to hurl her phone against the wall in frustration when the bell had rung out. She wasn't expecting anyone, it was probably just a delivery for neighbors that weren't home or something like that, but any distraction was a welcome one. When she pushed the button on the intercom however, the person on the other end of the line was about the last one she'd expected. 

"It's me. Can I come up for a minute? I want to talk." 

There was no doubt about whose voice it was, even through the speakers, and, in an instant, any coherent thought slipped away into some dark crack within her brain, replaced by panic. For a second she considered just walking away from the door and curling up in bed until Neji went home again, but that would've been plain childish. He deserved better than that, both of them did, really. Instead of answering, she just pushed the button that unlocked the door. Now she had about thirty seconds to get ready for the conversation she was about to have. Impossible. Suddenly she was _very_ glad that she'd decided against wearing one of the shirts he'd left at her place a while ago. That would have been downright pathetic. 

All too soon, she heard footsteps approaching. When he rounded the corner, her next breath got caught up in her throat as repressed emotions and rejected feelings came crashing down onto her. When he reached the door, came to face her, neither of them spoke. Hadn't he come here to talk? The silence became so unbearable, she didn't have a choice but to break it.

"Hey." _Smooth._

"I'm sorry." That was it then. He was breaking their little thing off, without giving her as much as a hello first. She thought she'd be ready for when it happened, should have seen it coming considering he hadn't contacted her for a full week, but the words still felt like a stab to the chest. 

"I get it, really." He had the audacity to look slightly confused at that statement, but she just kept talking. "All of this started out as a one-night-stand. I shouldn't have expected you to feel anything more than that. That kiss was just a slip-up, I should've known." There was no masking the bitterness in her voice and even though she'd sworn to not shed a single tear for the guy, she wasn't sure how much longer she had before she'd start crying. She hadn't truly understood how deep her feelings for him really ran. Not until now. 

"I- what?" Was he being for real?! She'd essentially just admitted to liking him and _that_ was the reaction she got?!

"Please Neji, this is already humiliating enough as it is, so don't make me spell it out for you." She couldn't bear to look at him and it took all of her self-control to not slam the door into his face. "We should stop doing hooking up, for real this time. I don't think I can handle it anymore." 

"No wait, that's not- God, I'm bad at this." She couldn't have put it better herself. This was the worst break-up conversation she'd ever had and it wasn't even a real break-up. She was about to close the door, not forcefully, but letting it glide closed slowly, but was met with resistance. His fingertips were feather-light on her wrist, but made her stop dead in her tracks nevertheless. "I didn't come here to break things off. It's just... I haven't been honest with you for a while now and for that I'm sorry. That and not giving you an explanation for that kiss." 

Now, it was her turn to look confused. Whatever he wanted to tell her wasn't coming across at all. Tenten gathered all of her courage and looked him in the eye, silently demanding a proper explanation. 

"I didn't want to make you uncomfortable, so I tried to hide it, but I haven't been seeing you as just a booty-call for a while now." Upon those words, the dread fell away, replaced by something that might have been anticipation. 

The implication was clear, but she wanted to know for sure. Needed to. Time ground to a halt as she prepared for the words that were about to leave her mouth, the repercussions they might have. 

"Then what am I to you." Her voice was low, almost a whisper. Still anxious about the answer, but not downright scared anymore. For a second, all Tenten could her was the erratic beating of her own heart.

"I think I might be in love with you." It took a few seconds for her to comprehend those words, seconds in which she couldn't do anything but stare at him. Finally, she managed to somewhat convert what she was feeling at the moment into somewhat coherent speech. Somewhat. 

"Are you fucking kidding me right now?" She cursed herself for the poor choice of words the instant they left her mouth, but hey, it was better than nothing. 

"No, I'm not. But I understand if you're angry." Neji sounded absolutely sincere, but it wasn't enough to stop the emotional rollercoaster she was currently on. Indifference. Dread. Anxiety. Anticipation. Surprise. Joy, a whole bunch of it. When the laugh that'd been working it's way up her throat finally escaped, he looked somewhat shocked.

"I can't believe how stupid we are!" She barely managed to choke out the words in between chuckles. 

"Excuse me?" He looked absolutely dumbfounded. 

Eventually, she managed to get a hold of herself. After all, she didn’t want to ruin the moment by making Neji believe she was a complete lunatic. 

"I've been crushing on you for god knows how long, trying to hide it!" There they were, her feelings, out in the open at last.

"Wha- Then why did you run away like that after I kissed you?!" 

"Maybe because you looked like you'd just made the worst mistake of your life!? Seriously, you turned so pale I thought you might faint."

"To be honest, I thought I did. Made the worst mistake of my life I mean. I thought I'd scared you away." There was a faint blush, painting his face and even though she felt happier than she had in days, Tenten couldn't resist teasing him just a bit more. 

"You kinda did though! The way you acted had me thinking the whole thing was nothing but an accident."

"I'm sorry, truly." There was no doubt he was speaking the truth, and a warm feeling spread through her, from the top of her head to the tips of her toes.

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry about it. I fucked up too, not as bad as you, but still." Neji simply rolled his eyes.

"You're the worst, you know that?" 

"Yup. But you're still in love with me." Triumphantly, she grinned at him. Tenten expected him to follow up with some sort of retort but was presented with nothing but the sweetest sincerity. 

"I am." Inwardly, she was beaming, but as happy as those words made her, and _fucking hell_ did they make her happy, she had no idea what to do next. 

"So... what now." 

"I thought that, maybe, you'd like to go out with me sometime." It was almost absurd, how shy he sounded, how he nervously scratched his neck. 

"We've been sleeping with each other for months and you get shy all about asking me out? You really are something.“ Remembering that, just maybe, dragging him to hell and back wasn’t the best course of action, she put on a smile, a real one, and stepped closer. "But yeah, of course, I'll go out with you." Her tone was laced with laughter and, for once, he didn’t seem irritated about her teasing. Quite the opposite, actually.

"It's a date then?“, he whispered, already leaning in. Feeling content, Tenten closed her eyes. 

"It's a date."


End file.
